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She and Rex did train horses, though, didn't they? Anyway, this individual sounds like a good trainer of pointing dogs. But if you're seeking to train a retrieving dog for waterfowl, you'll do far better using methods designed for waterfowl dogs. The goals & methods are very different.

Evan

"Prepare your dog in such a manner that the work he is normally called upon to do under-whelms him, not overwhelms him." ~ Evan Graham“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

He spends the first "block" teaching nothing but obedience. There is no retrieving in this block at all. In the second "block", he puts the pup on the table and starts a "conditioned retrieve" and then on to the ground, live birds, water, and etc. From there, it's on to the advanced drills.

Eric - JMO but since the pup is coming up on 4 months old and imagine your fun retrieves, basic OB, social shaping, exposure to water and gun, etc. have been (or will be) done by the time he has your dog...this really doesn't sound much different than most retriever programs. More like a transition to formalizing the obedience and moving to mouth habits/expectations with 'Conditioned Retriever' and then on to live birds and water work.

There's no point in training some higher aspects of the retrieve discipline unless the ability to manage that is done. I assume your buddy knows what you've done to date to prepare the pup. Frankly sounds like a pretty normal regiment for a hot pup that's 4/5 months old and the work needed thru 6/7 months.

As others have said - I'd be surprised if there weren't some fun bumpers in his mix to keep up pups good attitude.

The outline or 'blocks' were kinda thin in description. How would you do it differently?

...good dog trainers are good dog trainers once they learn the quirks of a certain breed

A little au contraire there, Bon, if you're going with the idea of pointing dog trainers qualified in taking on retrievers - respectfully, your learned friend's route from training retrievers to pointers is one thing, but I'd no more trust a retriever in the hands of a pointer trainer than I would a midget, er vertically-challenged person, as Blake Griffin's dunkologist.

As for the quirks of a certain breed, the only quirk I'm looking for is the desire to retrieve, like this 11-week-old show golden

and can't say that I'd want to quash or suppress that particular "quirk" when starting them out, regardless of the dog's breeding or the owner's eventual intent for using it.

I'll be damned, just shows that not all urban myths are real...how about the story that she was a very fine tennis player in her juniors, is that true or not ?

Yes, she was an accomplished tennis player, played doubles on the women's tour briefly. She had a Shetland Sheepdog that she trained for obedience, decided she wanted a retriever and heard about this trainer in Escalon so she went to meet him and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yes, she was an accomplished tennis player, played doubles on the women's tour briefly. She had a Shetland Sheepdog that she trained for obedience, decided she wanted a retriever and heard about this trainer in Escalon so she went to meet him and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sheepdog for OB, Poodle for show... 'Ol Bon was in the general ballpark